Part 1
Alyssa didn’t want to get up. Outside it was cold and windy and her bed was warm. It wasn’t like she had any reason to get up anyway. Being home schooled, Alyssa never really had to get up or even leave the house on a week day unless the Mayor decided she needed a little fresh air. If it were her choice, she would probably have stayed in bed all day. To bad her dad had other plans. “Rise and shine Princess! Time to meet the day and use that little brain of yours!” How in Who-Ville did her dad always manage to get into her room without Alyssa hearing? Sometimes having a dad made sleeping difficult.
The Mayor stood in her doorway; smiling as if he’d just won a medal. Alyssa sat up to glare at him from behind her matted hair and half closed eyelids. One of these days she would beat her dad for calling her Princess, but for now it was far to much work. She didn’t need an argument this early. Through a series of grumbles and mutters, Alyssa managed to shoo her dad away long enough to change out of her nightgown and brush her hair back into its usual ponytail.
Then came the long trek downstairs to the kitchen. Each step seemed to wake her up a little by little until she came pleasantly skipping through the kitchen door. Most of her family had already left for school with the exception of Peggy and Alyssa was met by silence upon entering. Despite having 95 sisters and one brother, Alyssa had to admit that the house had it’s strangely quiet moments.
She sat down at her usual dining spot and stared blankly at the cereal she’d poured herself only moments ago. Why was it the breakfast always looked better before you actually had to eat it? Alyssa finally took up her spoon and began to eat in silence. As the Mayor always told her, “A good breakfast makes a good mind.” Then again, he was also the one who slept with a sock monkey. Alyssa stopped chewing for a moment when the doorbell chimed loudly through the room.
She made no move to get it, but when no one yelled out that they would get it, she knew she would have to. In all the time she’d lived with this family Alyssa had never actually answered the door. She seemed to move in slow motion; taking a moment between every step. Her mind turned and reeled faster the closer she got until her hand met the door handle, but nothing could have prepared her for what awaited her just behind that door.
“Alyssa, it’s time for piano practice! Get upstairs and make some music!” the Mayor cheerfully stated as he entered the kitchen. He knew how much his daughter loved music and expected to find her smiling up at him from the table while finishing up her breakfast, but she wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere. Her half eaten cereal sat in front of her chair without an Alyssa to eat it. Her piano sat closed without an Alyssa playing it. Her books lay on the shelves without an Alyssa to read them, and the house lay quiet without an Alyssa to give it life. His heart raced the more he searched. Where could she have gone? The Mayor darted from room to room in a panic until he saw the front door; wide open with a piece of yellow paper pinned to its surface. He snatched up the letter and skimmed the sloppy handwriting.
“SALLY!!!!!”

Part 2

They’d read it so many times and still couldn’t believe what had happened. That morning, when no one was around, sweet little Alyssa had been kidnapped. All they had to go by was a very badly written letter on a crumpled piece of yellow paper. The Mayor had read it over and over again, but he couldn’t make sense of it. Not even the police could quite understand it. “Mayor, I’ve taken your daughter and expect payment for her safe Return. I will leave you another letter with my demands soon, But until then I suggest you sit tight. You may not be seeing her For a long time. Sincerely, B. K. W.” The letter itself was short and simple, but the pure torment it carried stretched on forever. Sally was trying her best to keep calm as the officers explained how they were going to help. “We’ll keep looking for her, but there isn’t much to go on. I’ll call if anything comes up.” All either of the parents could do was nod and watch as they left. What else were they supposed to do? There wasn’t a single clue to go on just yet and it ripped them apart inside. Explaining it to the other children was the hardest part. There wasn’t an easy way to tell them that their sister would not be coming home anytime soon or that she possibly would never return at all, but it had to be done. No doubt the event cast a certain stillness over the family. The Mayor felt it as he tucked each of his children in and walked solemnly to the room at the end of the hall. Alyssa’s bedroom. Everything was arranged in perfect order as it always was with Alyssa, but something caught his eye. He sat on the edge of the bed, the violet sheets wrinkling under his weight, and picked up one of Alyssa’s most cherished possessions. It seemed so out of place with how mature Alyssa was, but she hardly let anyone touch it. Bunny, a hand sewn and weather worn stuffed rabbit made of soft, pastel yellow fabric and dawned with large black buttons for eyes. The Mayor touched it at first, then drew it into an embrace as if hugging Alyssa through its tiny body. For the first time since she’d gone missing, the Mayor cried. Tears rolled down his cheeks like a tiny river. It felt like this was all his fault, but at the same time, he was angry as Alyssa for getting herself into trouble. How could she have managed to end up in such a big mess? The more he questioned it, the less he understood. However, his thoughts were soon swayed when he heard the tiny jingle. The Mayor looked down to find the source of the noise. Held by a thin, sparkling gold chain around the stuffed rabbit’s neck was a key of silver that caught the light and seemed to glow. The Mayor turned it over in his hand for a moment; considering it from every angle. What could it possibly go to? The very thought of Alyssa having something secret made him feel more afraid for so many new reasons. Then it hit him. “The diary….”

Part 3

For her last birthday, her first birthday in their family, Alyssa had received a new diary from Sally along with a set of colored pens and pencils. The Mayor recalled it being a small white book with a gold lock; its pages a very pale pink and its cover dotted in tiny blue hearts. Every night, she would lock herself in her room to write about her day and refused to come out or let anyone in until she was finished. Everyone had learned to respect that (because she got mad if you didn’t), but none of them knew where she kept it when she wasn’t scribbling away in its pages. Well no one except Jo-Jo. He was the only one Alyssa trusted with its secret hiding spot, but the Mayor knew there was no chance of him telling where it was. He would just have to find it himself. Within seconds, he was going through every drawer, looking in every possible corner, and turning the room upside down in his frantic search. No matter where he looked, the was no sign of the little book. “Honey? Are you coming to bed?” The Mayor jumped at the sound of a voice and slammed his head off the top of the bed where he had been looking over once again. Sally stood in the doorway with her bathrobe on; watching him quietly. The Mayor shook his head slightly and sighed. There was nowhere else to look, but he wouldn’t stop now. He had to find it. “I’m not going to bed until I find that diary,” he grumbled. As if on cue, Sally knelt down beside one of Alyssa’s pillows that the Mayor had thrown aside and pulled the diary from inside its pillow case. The Mayor looked stunned at his wife. How had she known that? “I clean her room when she forgets to do it.,” she explained as if hearing the question in his head. They both settled on the edge of their bed; Alyssa’s rabbit sitting between them with its little head tilted to one side. This was one of their last hopes and it was obvious they were both praying for it to hold the answers. Sally cautiously slipped the gold chain and key off Bunny’s neck and placed it in the lock. Tension rose as the tumblers in the diary’s lock gave a soft click. “Are you sure we should do this?” she asked. “Alyssa might get mad if she finds out we looked through it.” The Mayor looked up at her with a considerate yet stern expression. “I would rather have her here to be mad at me rather than not have her here at all.” His wife nodded, looking like she wanted to cry again, and opened the little book. Alyssa’s handwriting was long and tall; scrolling across the apple scented paper in dark green ink. Page after page was filled with stories the world had never heard. Emotions, dreams, and every aspect of her day to day life. They skimmed every sentence for a sign of their little girl’s whereabouts, but it was starting to seem like a lost cause. But there, in the very last entry, nestled among the long paragraphs, was just what they had been looking for. “I saw her today. It was almost scary to see her after such a long time, but I knew better than to stick around. As soon as I spotted that evil woman I turned and ran as fast as I could.” Sally didn’t seem to want to turn the page. The stress was overwhelming her and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know anymore. The Mayor pulled her close in a comforting manner and sighed; turning the page on his own to read on. “Since I came to live with Jo-Jo and his family, I’ve never had to worry about her and I honestly thought I never would. Blairla lives so far away, but I’ll bet anything she’s looking for me. She’s almost as bad as Greg (which is probably why they got married) I admit that I’m scared. Hopefully she never finds me.” Blairla? The Mayor recognized that as the name of the “mother” Greg had brought to dinner so long ago. A step mother it seemed. A wicked step mother.

Part 4

The Mayor had never really gotten a good look at Alyssa’s old house until that moment. It was small, built in a rather empty corner of Who-Ville, with dark walls and an unkempt lawn. It was all to familiar. The last time he was here, Greg was being arrested and Alyssa was joining their family to a better life. Now here he was, getting ready to take his daughter back to where she belonged. For a moment, all he could do was stare up at the building looming over his head in fear, but something broke his hesitation. “Daddy!” His eyes turned upon the figure standing in the doorway and widened in surprise. There stood little Alyssa; looking frightened but happy to see him nonetheless. Alyssa was a mess despite the short time she’d been away. Her hair fell in wild waves to frame her cut and bruised face while a black circle rounded one of her usually sparkling green eyes. It was hard to understand why she was smiling after being put in such a state. The Mayor ran to embrace his child and took in a relieved breath. “Thank goodness I found you. I’m so sorry this happened,” he whispered. “Let’s go home and forget this.” Alyssa froze and stammered to make him stop, but her father continued to pull her away from the terrifying house. He had no idea what he was about to do. As soon as she stepped off the dead grass that was the lawn, Alyssa let out a cry of agony and fell over onto the ground. Her body shook violently all over and the Mayor stood over her; caught completely off guard. He could only stare at her as she clawed at her neck desperately and scrambled back onto the lawn. The Mayor knelt down beside her as she panted and gasped for breath. It had been a terrifying incident and he thought he had seen what had caused it. “Alyssa…what is that around your neck?” he asked quietly. She looked away as if in shame and allowed the Mayor to push aside her tangled hair to see the cruel treatment she was being forced to endure. Latched firmly around Alyssa’s neck was a metal collar with a small blinking green light. An Electro-Obedience collar. His heart shattered at the sight of the instrument of torture. How could anyone do this to a child? She was being treated like some kind of animal. The skin around and under the collar was burnt black from numerous escape attempts while her muscles seemed to twitch nervously with every sound or movement. The electric shocks had no doubt ruined her body and mind in every way. The Mayor looked at her sad expression and tried to think of something, anything, that could make things seem just a little brighter, but there was nothing. He would have to set things right himself. “Don’t worry Alyssa, I’ll get you out of here and back home in no time.” At least that was what he thought. He watched in confusion as Alyssa’s eyes grew wide (well, her good eye at least) and she opened her mouth to speak. Sadly, she was to late. The Mayor felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and then it all went black.

Part 5

The Mayor didn’t want to remember what had happened. He wanted to open his eyes to find it had all been just a terrible nightmare. Alyssa was sleeping safely in her own bed, Sally was as cheerful as always, and nothing had changed, but that was far from true. His eyes fluttered open to the cold, hard truth that he had been dreading. He was inside a rather dark room where the air was cold and stale tasting with every breath. The only actual light came from a small round window in the far corner where bits of fading sunlight filtered through and onto his face; casting shadows over the walls that seemed to reach out for him. He was certainly not on the front lawn anymore. “Well look who’s awake. Still thinking about taking my kid back?” The Mayor turned his head to face the owner of the raspy voice and fell upon a dark shadow in the corner of the room. The figure moved into the light to reveal herself as Blairla; Alyssa’s step mother. She wasn’t at all a pretty woman. Her face was wrinkled and small with eyes hardly larger than dark colored coat buttons and her figure was thin in a very unhealthy way. The clothing she wore wasn’t something a normal mother would wear; made of leather and far to tight (and the Mayor was pretty sure she hadn’t changed them in a while) and her hair was a tangled blonde mess around her face. He watched as her grim stare pressed down upon him and couldn’t help but wonder how she managed to put on so much makeup. “I told you not to do anything stupid and just wait for my demands, but no. You had to be a hero. Well now you’re not going to be getting the brat back. She is my kid after all.” The Mayor felt like jumping the woman and ripping her apart for what she had done to Alyssa. He remembered how his little girl had shaken and acted in fear, how hurt she seemed, and the very appearance of her once beautiful self. This woman was a monster in every way. “Of course, since you did act out in such a way….I suppose I’ll have to get rid of you.” she said with a frightening grin. Her teeth were yellowed and her breath seemed to fill the air with such a fowl odor that he could hardly stand it, but the Mayor couldn’t move under her stare. It was as if she’d turned him to stone. “Sit tight darlin’. It will all be over soon.” The Mayor didn’t like the sound of that. As the woman marched away, he spotted something that fell from the pocket of her tight black jeans. It hit the ground with a tiny clang before bouncing twice and settling on the cold stone floor. It sparkled slightly in the dim light and the Mayor edged closer to get a better look. It was a tiny key made of a very rusted metal and hardly looked usable but he instantly knew what it was to. Now all he had to do was find Alyssa. The Mayor rose to his feet silently and moved toward the door he had seen Blairla enter from but it was locked tight; making a loud noise the more he tried to force it open. Apparently not a likely exit. Without warning however, the door swung open and hit him square in the face; knocking him backward into pile of boxes. “Dad?! Are you ok?!” All he could think of was how glad he was to see Alyssa. She helped him up from the mess of boxes and sighed with relief. “Hurry. I can get you out of here as long as you’re quiet. But we can’t get caught. Blairla will kill us both….”

Part 6
The more was uneasy about the silence surrounding the house and all of its rooms. It looked as though no one had lived there for years, but he knew the reality. He new the Blairla lived within these walls and that nowhere was safe. The Mayor followed close behind his daughter who moved swiftly and cautiously about as if some form of cat or fox. Truly, Alyssa knew her way around. “Alright. We just have to get through the living room and then you can get out of here.” she whispered; peeking around the doorway to check for her step mother’s presence. The Mayor froze though.
Did she really expect him to leave without her? There was no way he would leave Alyssa in this house any longer with that crazy woman. “Alyssa, you’re coming with me. I wont leave you behind…” he whispered. She seemed to ignore him and simply continued into the next room; stepping lightly over the dirty floors. They were so close. The Mayor could see what looked like the front door and felt the sunlight finally touch him. It felt like it had been years since he’d last seen sunlight and he flinched slightly as is glared into his eyes. It was a mistake he would not soon forget.
Taking a step back to move out of the sun, the Mayor felt his foot land on something that was far from stable and fell face first onto the ground; bringing a large crash with him. Alyssa turned to him with a look of shock and concern but was far to late to do anything about it. Blairla seemed to appear out of nowhere with her face filled with rage and hate. With one hand she caught Alyssa by the neck and with the other she held a lit candle that burned with the same fire her eyes seemed to hold. “You little monster. How dare you go against your mother?! How dare you!!!” she shrieked.
As if reacting to her angry words, the collar on Alyssa’s neck gave a small beep and she was filled with a shock far worse than the first. The Mayor watched in pure horror as his little girl’s body went limp in her step mother’s grip and was dropped to the floor as if she were nothing but a rag doll. Then Blairla turned her sights on him. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten you Mr. Mayor.” She spoke his name with such disdain. How could one woman be filled with such evil?
The Mayor had no time to find out. He had to get Alyssa and get out of here, not to mention get around the insane step mother. Then she did something he would have never expected. Blairla dropped the candle she had been holding onto the piles of boxes and papers to her right and stood there as the flame grew and expanded at a dangerous rate. Now he knew she was crazy. She was going to burn them all alive just so Alyssa wouldn’t get away. “I was just going to give you a good beating and leave you to bleed, but now….you get to burn.” Blairla cackled like something out of a horror movie and didn’t even flinch as the flames engulfed her body and the Mayor jumped up in fear.
He had to run. On reaction to the danger, he jumped to his feet and darted forward; searching the fire madly for Alyssa. She was defenseless as ever and would die if he couldn’t find her soon. As the flames dances in shades of red and orange blurs, the Mayor stumbled about and coughed against the smoke. Where was she? At first he felt as though he should call out for her, but then he remembered that she was unconscious and wouldn’t respond, but then he found her. Silhouetted by the flames and smog lay the figure of the raven haired Who he had come to retrieve. Surprisingly enough, she seemed unharmed by the heat.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, the Mayor drew her into his arms and kicked his way through the front door and onto the dead grass of the front lawn. He managed to stumble just far enough away from the house before it burst into flames that licked the sky in a burning rage. The Mayor fumbled for the key Blairla had dropped earlier and slipped it into the small lock on the back of Alyssa’s collar; turning it until it gave a click and opened to fall off her neck. Finally. She was free.
He looked back at the house as the panicked yet still somewhat insane cries of Blairla echoed into the blazing hot air and felt a chill trace his spine. This was it. Now they really were all Alyssa had.
“Dad?….”
The tiny and vulnerable voice caught his attention and he looked down upon the little girl he held cradled in his arms. Her eyes were opened ever so slightly to look up at him; green eyes full of life. “Oh my little angel,” he whispered as he pulled her into a hug. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Alyssa took in a deep breath of fresh air and sighed slightly but a smile tugged on her lips ever so slightly. “I’m so tired dad…can we go home?” she asked. The Mayor felt his eyes begin to tear and he nodded; returning her smile.
“Yes Sweetie….We can go home.”